Cyber Policy

The White House unveiled a "U.S. International Strategy for Cyberspace" today that explains the administration's agenda for partnering with other countries to secure cyberspace.

Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Lynn presented the strategy along with Homeland Security Adviser John Brennan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Attorney General Eric Holder, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The release comes just after the White House unveiled a legislative cybersecurity proposal.

The proposal states that military force can be used in the cyber realm along with other means to defend the nation's networks as well as allied nations:

All states possess an inherent right to self-defense, and we recognize that certain hostile acts conducted through cyberspace could compel actions under the commitments we have with our military treaty partners.We reserve the right to use all necessary means -- diplomatic, informational, military, and economic -- as appropriate and consistent with applicable international law, in order to defend our Nation, our allies, our partners, and our interests. In so doing, we will exhaust all options before military force whenever we can; will carefully weigh the costs and risks of action against the costs of inaction; and will act in a way that reflects our values and strengthens our legitimacy, seeking broad international support whenever possible.